Grinding machine



Nov. 20, R928.

V E. E. DRCDWNS GRINDING MACHINE Filed June 25.' `1925 .gggggeggess Nov. 20, 1928.

1,692,769 E. E. DROWNS GRINDING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1925 2 sheets-'sheet 2 of W ich 5 is suitably machined to receive d ing a part of this specification, Flg. 1 is whatmay be designated as a front view of this wFi' .3 is' a detail view of a suc as a-.steering arm pin.

Similar characters of. reference 1nd1cate- Patented Nav. 2o, 192s.

' lzgaa PATENT OFFICE.-

, EDIOND E. DROWNS, GF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

GBINDING MACHINE.

Application med June 23, 1925. Serial No. 38,965.

invention relates` to grinding machmes, anobject of the-invention bemg to ,provide an improved grinding machine for grindingl spherical. Surfaces, such as ball ]o1nts or other pleces requlrin'g a radius.

The object of the invention is the provision. of an improved grinding xture,'by means of which the ball portion to be ground is always centered` and vwill therefore be groundra true sphere, and which is simple in construction and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, Vand by means ,of whichan increase in production is obtained .as com- 'pared with other methods heretofore emu ,ployed and Vwhich 'can be readily applied tothe .various types of grinders now manufactured having a revolvlnggrmdlng wheel.

In thedrawlngs accompanying and formimproved, fixture; Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating thework partially removed; and piece of work correspondin parts in the several views.

grindin- Beforeexp aming in detail the present improvement and mode of operation thereof, I- desire to have`it'understood that the inventionisnotlimited to the details of construc r\ tion and' arrangement of parts which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

since the invention is capable of other embodiments, and that the' phraseology which I employ isfor the and. not of limitation.

The'base 1 of this improved fixture is mounted on the table 2 carried by'a suitable supporting, trame lwhich also supportsl a disk or wheel 30, mounted upon a shaft drlven in the present-instance by a belt 31from some suitable source of power, this grinding wheel beingsuitably enclosed -in a casing 32 supporting suitable means forfconv eying a cooling lubricantto `the work and shown herein as a hose 33.

This lbasel is -secured to the table `2"by suitable screws 3 andthis base is provided with an extension or bracket 5 having a pair of s aced arms 5 and 5, 'the lower one a ball seat 6 secured in position by a suitable set screw. The upper arm 5 yofthis bracket 5 is suitablyl machined to receive an upper purpose of idescription connected with alever 8 pivoted to the bracket `5. Located in the'bracket 5 isa spring 9" to swinging arm 13 is suitably pivoted to the base 1 betweenthe lower .bracket arm 5 and the base 1. A pulley bracket-14 is securely mounted ont-he topof the upper armI 13 of the bracket 13, and this pulley bracket 'is suitably drilled at each end to receive studs 15, each of which carries a set of pulleys 16 held in place by nuts 17. The bracket 13 i s suitably drilled 'and tapped to receive the bushing nut 18, which in turn is drilled to receive 'the shank of a pulley\19 held in place by a vwasher 20 and nut 21.- Pulley 19 is so located and constructed as to form a part of the universal joint 22 and the shaft 23 of this universal joint is bored to receive a work holder' 24. The lshank of this holder 24 slides freely in the shaft/23 and is driven thereby through .pins 24 in' the shank of the holder,

which pins `projecthintoelongated slots of.

the shaft. 23. y V In the. present instance the holder 24' is tappedI to receive a piece of work in the form.

'of a ball joint 25, which is to be ground.

It will be understood of course that the holder` is suitably' designed to receive any work to be ground. In other words, various forms' of holders of the general character de.

to -be ground. Bymeans of the universal joint, the work holderdandshaft 23 can be swung away from the bracket 5 for the attachment or detachment of a piece of work to'orfrom the holder, and the'n` swung into position between the ball seats 6 and 7 The pulley 19Aconnected with the universal-joint 22 of the shaft 23 is'driven in thepresent instance by a` suitable belt 31 guided from a suitable independent source of powerby the two setsot pulleys 16, although it willfbe obvious that the shat'tf23. may be rotated by other means than the belt, as for instance by a small `motor fitted to the top of the bracket 13, so as to revolve the shaft by means of a suitable shaft and bevel gears. V

Secured to the bracket 13 is a handle-26. A stop bracket 27 is mounted on thev table 2 `scribed/maybe used according tothe work y l ment the operator grasps the work holder 24: and swings it into position to permit the piece of work, such for instance as that shown in Fig. 3, to be'screwed into the same. The o erator then pulls the leverA downward, w ich raises the upper ball seat 7 and the holder 24 with its piece'of work 25 is then swung into place so as to carry the ball end of the piece of work between the two ball seats 6 and 7, whereu on the lever 8 is released and the spring t iereof forces the same upward, thus forcing the upper ball seat 7 down upon the work, centering the ball of the piece between the upper ball seat and the lower `ball seat 6, the spring V9 being sutlicient- 1y stron to hold the ball seat 7 against the ball of t e piece of work so that the same is held in posltion for grinding. The operator then starts the rotation of the shaft 23, which causes the work to revolve, this being effected as hereinbefore described, by means of the belt 31'. The grinding wheel and the shaft 23 are rotated by separate drives, which makes it unnecessary to sto the grinding wheel when the tool holder is eing loaded or unloaded. While the lpiece of work 25 is being rotated the table of the grinder is fed toward the grinding wheel, whereupon the grinding wheel starts to grind the piece and` the operator, by means of the handle 26, swings the bracket 13 in the desired manner and hence all parts connected with the same, andthus by -this means the rinding of the ball portion of the piece is e ectively'accomplished. Since the ball piece 25 swlngs and 1s bein revolved at the same time, it is thus groun spherically having centered itself between the two ball seats6 and 7. A By means of the elongated holes in 'the'shaft 23 variation in the shank of the worlrto be ground is permissible, and this also assists in the centering of the work between the-ball seats 6 and 7.

In practice the bracket 13 could be adjustable to correspond to various lengths of work to be handled if desired in case the work is provided with an exceptionallyV long shank,

as by having the arms 13 and 13 constructed of two -telescoping parts. In practice as the grinding wheel is carried by a suitable table which is movable toward and from the work` this permits refacing of the wheel. e

From the foregoing it will be seen. that I have provided a very simple and inexpensive ndlng xture for grinding spherical suribes in which the grinding wheel may be dressed straight across so that only after a great number of pieces are ground is it necesnece-peo sa to redress the grinding wheel, and in which the Wearing of the grinding wheel-Will not affect the ball portion of the workbeing ground as to size or as to its spherical formation.

It is to be understood that b describing in detail herein any particular orm, structure or arrangement, it is not intended to limit the invention beyond the terms of the several claims or the requirements of the prior art.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention andvdescribed a way of constructing and using the same, although Without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all of the modes of its use, I claim: j

1. In a grinding machine having a shiftable table, a grindin wheel, and means for driving it, the com ination of supporting means carried by the table, a pair of opposed ball seats carried by said supporting means, one Shiftable toward and from the other, a bracket swingable about an axis common to the ball seats, a rotatable shaft carried thereby and having its axis transverse tothe axis of the ball seats so as to be capable of occupying a position radial to the axis of the ball seats, means for driving it, and a work holder carried by said 'shaft for carrying-the work in position to be positioned between the ball seats, the relation of the parts being such that the spherical portion of the work may be steadied by said ball seats but rotate with the shaft therebetween and also given an angular movement about the axis of Said seats.

2. In a grinding machine having a shiftable table, a grinding Wheel, and means for driving it, the combination of supporting means carried by the table, a pair of opposed ball seats carriedby said supporting means on'e shiftable toward and from the other, a bracket swingable about an axis common tofthe ball seats, a swinging rotatable shaft carried thereby and capable of occupying a position radial "to the axis of the ball seats, means for .driving it, and a work holder carried by said shaft :for carryingthe work in position to be posi-` but rotate with the shaft therebetween and also given an angular movement about the axis of'said seats, said shaft having a universal joint connection with its driving means.-

3. Ina grinding machine having a shiftable table, a grinding wheel, and means for driving it, the combination of supporting means carried by the table, a pair of opposed ball seats carried by said supporting means one located above the other and one shiftable toward and from the other, a bracket swingable about an axis common to the ball seats, a rotatable shaft carried thereby .and capable of occupying a position radialto 'the axis of the ball seats, means for' driving it, and a work holder car- Iried by said shaft for carr ing the work in position to be positioned etween the n ball seats, the relation of the parts being such that the spherical portion of the work may be steadied by said ball seats but rotate with the shaft therebetween and also given an angular movement about the axis ofsaid Seats, said shaft and work holder having a pin and slot connection to permit longitudinal movement of the Work holder, thereby to assist in centering the work between the ball seats.

4. In agrinding machine having a shiftable table, a grinding wheel, and means for driving it, the 'combinationof supporting means carried by the table, a pair of opposed ball seats carried by Said supporting means, one shiftable toward and from the other, a bracket swingable about an axis common to the b'all seats, a rotatable\. sliaft carried thereby and capable of occupying a position radial to the axis of the ball seats, means for driving it, a work holder carriedby saidshaft for-carrying the work in position to lbe positioned between the ball seats, the relation of the parts being such that the spherical portion of the work may be steadied by said ball' seats but rot-ate with the shaft therebetween and also given an angular movement about the axis of said seats, said shaft having a umversal joint connection with its drlving means, and

. said shaft and work holder having a pin and slot connection-to permit longitudinalr movement of rthe work holder, thereby toassist in centering the work between the ball seats.

eans for driving it,` the combination of s pporting 4means carried by the table, a pair ofopposed ball seats-carried by said supporting means, one locatedabove the othenh d one shiftable toward and from tlie\\ t, er, a bracket swingable about an axis cofibri the ball seats, a rotatable shaft carried`\t eref by and having its axis transversetofthe` axis of the ball seats so'as to be capable of (xcupying a position radial to the axis ofmhe all seats, means for driving it, and a wbrk l holder carried by saidshaft for carrying ,the

work in position to be positioned between the ball seats, the relation of the parts beingv such that the spherical portion of the work may be steadied by said ball seats but rotate with the shaft therebetween and also given an angular movement about theaxis of said seats,

said shaft and work holder having a pin and slot^connection to permit longitudinal moveu ment of the work holder, thereby to assist in 5. In a grinding machine havrng a shiftable table, a grinding wheel, anda common. to the ball seats, a rotatable uni-v versally connected shaft carried bythe swinging bracket and having its axistransverse to the axis 'of the ball seats so as tobe capableof occupying a position radial to the axls of the ball seats, means for rotating it, a lon itudinal shiftable work holder carried by said shaft, the relation of the parts being t Vtion of the work, a bracketl swingable about an axis common to the ball seats, a rotatable shaft carried by said bracket and having its axis transverse to the axis of said ball seats, so as to be capable of occupying a position radial tothe axis of the ball seats, means for driving said shaft, and a.work holder carried by said shaft, the relation of the parts being such that the spherical portion of the work may be steadied by said ball 4seats but rotate with the'shaft therebetween and also given an angular movement about the axis of said seats.

8. 'In a grinding machine having a grind- ,ff ing wheel and means for rotating it, the combination of a pair of opposed ball seats for the. reception of the work, a swingable and rotatable shaft mounted to swing about an axis common to the ball seats and having its axis transverse to the axis of said ball seats so as to be capable of occupying a position Aradial to said axis of the ball seats, means for driving said shaft, and a'work holder carried by said shaft, .the relation of the parts being such that the spherical portion of the work may be steadied by said ballseats but rotate with the shaft therebetween and4 also given an angular movement about the axis of` said seats. `9. In a'grinding machine having a grinding wheel and means for rotating it, the com- 'bination of a pair of opposed ball seats for the reception of the work, a bracket pivotally connected inalinement with the axis of the ball seats, and swingable about an axis coml mon to said ball seats, a rotatable shaft carried by said bracket and having its axis trans- 4 verse to the axis of the ball seats so as to be capable of occupying a position radial to the axis of the ball seats, means for driving said shaft, anda work holder carried by said shaft, the relation of the parts'being such that the spherical portion of the work may be steadied by said ball 5seats but rotate with the shaft therebetween and alsogiven an angular movement about the axis of said seats 10. In a grinding machine having a grinding wheel and means for rotating it, the combination of a pair of opposed ball seats for the reception of the work, a swingable and rotatable shaft swingable about an axis common to the ball seats and having its axis transverse to theaxis of said seats so as to be capable of y occupying a position radial lto said axis ofthe ball seats, means for driving said shaft independently of the grinding wheel, and a work holder carried by said shaft, the relation of.

y the parts being such that the spherical portion of the Work may be steadied bysa'id ball seats but rotate with the shaft therebetween and also given an angular movement about the axis of said seats. 111 In a grinding machine having a grinding y'vheel and means for rotating it, the combination of a pair of opposed ball seats for the reception of the work, a bracket swingable about an axis common to the ball seats, stop means for limiting Athe movement of said bracket, a' rotatableshaft carried by said bracket and liaving itsaxis transverse to the axis of the ball seats so as to be capable of occupying a position radial to the axis. of the ball seats, means for driving it and a work holder carried by said shaft for engaging the work in ,position to be positioned between the ball seats, the relation of the parts being such that the spherical portion of the work may be steadied vby said ball seats but rotate with the y shaft therebetween and-also given an angular movement about the axis of said seats.

12. In a grinding machine having a grinding wheel and Ameans for rotating it, the combination of a pair of opposed alined ball seats separable for \the insertionv of stem formed j spherical work, means for supporting said ball seats in a stationary position, a bracket swingable about an axis common to the ball seats, and a rotatable work carrying shaft having its axis transverse tothe axis of the ball seats so'as to be ,capable of occupying a position radial to the axis of the ball seats and supported for shiftable movement toward and from the ball seats for l'ading and unloading the'work, the relation of the parts being such that the sphericalfportion of the work may be steadied' by said ball seats but rotate ywith the shaft therebetween and also given an angular movement about the axis of said seats.

, 13. In -a grinding machine having a grinding wheel, andmeans for rotating it, the combination of a pair of opposed ball seats, means for adjusting the same for the reception of the work, a bracket swirgable about an'axis l common to the ball seats, a rotatable shaft carried by said bracket and havingA its axis transverse to the axis of said ball seats, so as to capable of occupying a position radial to the axis of the ball seats, means for driving said shaft, and a longitudinally ad'ustable work' l holder carried by said shaft, t e relation of the parts being such thatithe spherical portion of the work may be steadied by said ball seats but rotate with the shaft therebetween ,and also given an angular movement about the axis of said seats.

14. In a grinding machine having a grinding wheel and means for rotating it, the combination of a-'Isliding table, a fixed supporting means,;carried thereby, a pair of opposed alined ball seats carried by said fixed supporting means and separable for the insertlon of stem formed spherical work, a bracket swingable about an axis common to the ball seats and pivotally connected in alinement with the axis of said ball seats, and a rgtatable swingingly supported work carrying shaft having its axis transverse to the axis of the ball seats so as to be capable of occupying a position radial to the axis of the ball seats, and'shiftable toward and from the ball seats for loading and unloading the work, the relation of the parts being such that the spherical portion of the work may be steadied by said ball seats but rotate with the shaft therebetween and also given an angular movement about the axis of said seats.

' 15.l In a grinding machine having a grinding wheel, and means for rotating it, the combination of'a fixed bracket, a pair of ball seats carried thereby, one shiftable toward and from the other, means forlmoving the ball seats toward the grinding'wheel, a swinging bracket, a rotatable shaft carried thereby for the reception of a Work holder, driving means for rotating said shaft independently ofthe grinding wheel andcarried bysaid swinging,

bracket, said shafthaving a swinging connection with the bracket, and said Work holder having a lengthwise adjustable connection with the shaft. y

16. In a grinding machine having a sliding table, aggrinding Wheel, and means for'rotating it, the'combination of a fixture base secured to the table, an uprightbracketseim. 4 

